The Division of International Support for Korean Studies at the Center for International Affairs of the Academy of Korean Studies held the 185th Colloquium on Korean Studies Abroad on July 24, 2024 at the Munhyeonggwan Grand Conference Room. In the colloquium, Professor Park Chang-sup (University of Oklahoma) and Professor Eom Su-jin (Dartmouth College), the 2024 AKS fellowship recipients, presented the results of the researches they conducted in Korea.

Prof. Park's presentation was titled "Understanding the Hybridity of South Korean Dramas.” Korean dramas have gained popularity around the world thanks to their cultural hybridity, which fuses various cultural elements. Park made a presentation on how American and Korean audiences think about the cultural hybridity of Korean dramas. While American audiences viewed the cultural diversity of Korean dramas as a "new Korean style," Korean audiences did not find it novel.

Professor Eom made a presentation on "Archives in Flux: Architecture, Police Photography, and the Postcolonial Future." The professor could get information about places and materials related to the Ildonghoe, a secret anti-Japanese group organized by Chinese in Incheon in 1940 through police photographs as accidental archives. Accidental photographs of Chinese store-houses taken by the Japanese police allow one to guess what life was like for migrant Chinese. It was impressive to see the professor present architectural analysis of the time based on actual photographs and materials.

The colloquiums drew many researchers and graduate students, who shared their opinions. The Division of International Support for Korean Studies will continue to organize events to promote communication among local and foreign researchers.